UCONN FOOTBALL: Head coach Randy Edsall happy with addition of TCU

STORRS -- A major press conference had already been scheduled at Texas Christian University Monday afternoon, but UConn coach Randy Edsall declined comment on the school's impending admission to the Big East Conference until it "became official."

Now that the move is complete, Edsall expressed his satisfaction with the addition of a TCU football program that's among the nation's elite.

"It strengthens us from the football end, and for all sports," Edsall said Tuesday during the Huskies' weekly media luncheon.

The addition should solidify the Big East's status as an automatic BCS qualifier.

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Edsall said he called TCU football coach Gary Patterson Monday to offer congratulations and express his excitement at having the Horned Frogs as the Big East's ninth football member.

In the past, Edsall often expressed his distaste for the eight-team league's unbalanced schedule. With seven conference games, teams rotated between having three home games and four away games from season to season.

Beginning in 2012, when TCU begins league play, the split will be four and four every year.

UConn's recruiting footprint should also increase now that the Big East extends to Texas.

Three current Huskies are from Texas -- receiver Michael Smith (Houston) and defensive backs Harris Agbor (Mesquite) and Kijuan Dabney (Houston) -- a number that could increase soon.

"We'll be able to go into Texas to recruit," Edsall said. "And I'm sure that will help (TCU's) recruiting as well, because they're part of a BCS conference with an automatic bid where they weren't before. We'll go down there (because) now there's some kids that might want to leave and come up."

Edsall also disagreed with one of the popular arguments that made the rounds Monday regarding the added travel time to get to TCU, located in Fort Worth, and vice versa.

He said much of the league travels by plane to games already, and that the flight to Dallas/Fort Worth airport is easy and not much longer than other Big East destinations.

"Everybody always wants to look at the negative and come up with something; how can we stab this and make it not look good?" Edsall asked. "That's ridiculous. It's ludicrous. To me, what you try to do when you're in business is you try to make the conference as strong as you can. "

"Well, the Big East just made a move that makes the conference stronger, especially from a football standpoint. You really get sick sometimes of all the negativity that surrounds things that end up being very good and positive. To me, it's a positive step."

NO INJURY NEWS

Offensive lineman Mike Ryan, linebacker Scott Lutrus and defensive tackle Twyon Martin were all listed as starters on UConn's depth chart for Saturday's potential Big East title-clinching game at South Florida.

It doesn't mean the trio will play.

Edsall no longer comments on injuries, but all three left last Saturday's win over Cincinnati with what appeared to be serious ailments.

UConn will release its official injury report on Thursday.

EXTRA POINTS

?Edsall's name arises whenever a major program's head coaching job becomes available, so it's no surprise that rumors about him being interviewed for the vacant position at Minnesota sprouted over the weekend. "I haven't talked to anybody and nobody's talked to me," Edsall said.

?First-year South Florida coach Skip Holtz was the man Edsall replaced at UConn back in 1999. It marks the first time the two will face each other.

"I know Skip, but I never got to know him that well, because when I got here he was already gone," Edsall said. "He's a good guy and a good coach, and I have a tremendous amount of respect for what he's done."